Accessible OHIO: How to create a more accessible document
At Ohio University, we embrace that we have a collective responsibility to create the opportunity for people with disabilities to have an accessible and inclusive experience whether a student, employee, visitor, or community member.
There are many simple ways we can all contribute to the development and maintenance of an accessible and inclusive environment. Accessible OHIO: It’s What We Do highlights a series of actions that any of us may take – no expertise required! The Office for University Accessibility can be reached at www.ohio.edu/accessibility or 740-593-2620.
What are five simple things I can do to create a more accessible document?
Creating accessible documents can be easy with a few basics changes to how we create documents.
- Use clear, sans serif fonts such as Barlow, Calibri or Helvetica with a minimum 12 point.
- Ensure sufficient color contrast within images and between text and background. To assess color contrast one easy tool is the WebAim Color Contrast checker.
- When using images, add Alt text descriptions that are detailed, specific, and consider the context in which the image appears.
- Use Headings and Labels rather than manually changing font sizes to organize your document.
- Run the accessibility check provided within applications like word, ppt, excel, etc. and make recommended changes to make your document accessible.
There are many resources and tools available to learn how to make documents accessible, including the following:
Creating a more Accessible OHIO: It’s What We Do.